


Scooped

by vassalady



Category: Captain America (Comics), Superman (Comics)
Genre: Crossover, F/F, Ficlet, Kissing, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 20:08:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5679043
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vassalady/pseuds/vassalady
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lois is pissed off Leila Taylor keeps getting to her stories first. They meet at a party after one such incident, and it ends unexpectedly well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Scooped

“I can’t believe this! She scooped me again!” Lois didn’t care that she was yelling. She was furious. She stared at the dock story ( _her_ dock story, the one she’d been working on for _weeks_ and none of the other stupid news people had even known!) right there on the front page of the Metro Star’s website. Lois glared at the byline, as if she could glare at the woman herself. Leila Taylor. She was always one fucking step ahead of Lois these days.

Clark peeked over her shoulder. He said, “Ahhh…” in that frustrating way of his. “You know, Lois, I don’t think she’s doing it on purpose. Whatever you seem to think. You’re both good reporters and sometimes-”

“Sometimes nothing, Clark. She’s gotten a story ahead of me now five times in the last six months. A story I thought I had an exclusive!” Lois sat back slumped in her chair, arms crossed, and chewing her lips. “How the hell is she doing it?”

“Well-”

“If she’s got super hearing, too, I’m going to knock her one, and don’t you dare suggest I try harder next time, Clark, or I’m calling the whole Justice League to kick your ass.” She said this just under her breath, so only Clark could hear it.

Clark looked more amused than Lois wanted, but he didn’t say anything further. Ugh, wasn’t there a runaway bus to stop or some supervillain tearing through downtown? Not that Lois wished for those things to happen, but anything to get fucking reasonable Clark Kent out of her sphere of ire.

It wasn’t until much later that afternoon that Clark tilted his head in that way that meant he heard a need for Superman, and he turned to Lois to say, “Hey, if I don’t make it to the party tonight, cover me?”

Lois, still pissed at everything including Clark, just waved her hand at him dismissively. Of course she’d cover, she always had since she found out his little secret.

Clark smiled at her, which Lois pointedly didn’t return, and then was off to the “bathroom” or to “meet a source” or whatever line he was giving today to people.

Lois finally let herself quietly swear for a solid five minutes.

\--

When Lois arrived, the party was in full swing. It was one of the few times news agencies could relax. The Greater Midwest Journalism Awards had been announced and issued, very little fuss over all, and this party was theoretically meant to honor those winners. Few treated it as anything other than a chance to drink and socialize outside the newsroom, however. 

That meant that Leila Taylor would likely be there.

Although Lois kept her eye out for her, it was Leila that found Lois.

“Lois? How good to see you!”

Lois twirled around to face Leila. For a moment, Lois’s breath caught. Leila shone; her golden gown draped delicately over her dark body like satin, a matching headband at her hairline pushing her full afro just a little back. She smiled, and that shone, too.

It took Lois a moment to catch her breath.

“Leila, good evening,” Lois replied, matching Leila’s sweet smile. “I saw your work this morning. Quite an interesting story.”

There was an unmistakable glint in Leila’s eyes. Lois found her equilibrium again at that glint. Leila _had_ intentionally scooped her!

“I thought you might. I was surprised, frankly, you hadn’t written it yourself yet.”

That cut deep. Lois maintained her grin, teeth clenched. “I’m surprised a writer of your calibre is working for that rag that’s _Metro Star_. It’s got neither the readership nor credibility of the _Daily Planet_.”

Leila laughed; Lois hated that she liked Leila’s laugh. “It was only a rag because you were at the _Planet_.”

The compliment surprised Lois. Leila was throwing her off at every angle tonight, and Lois was growing dizzy with it. What kind of reporter was she that Leila was getting to her so much?

She did catch the past tense that Leila used. It was warranted, though. Lois had meant what she said. Leila was a good writer, and it was only because of her that the _Star_ was getting any good exposure at all.

“Oh my god, you’re Leila Taylor, aren’t you? Senator Wilson’s ex-fiancee? Hey, is it true he’s gonna run for president?”

The intrusion came from a young man with a camera around his neck. No one must have told the poor kid there was a strict no cameras policy at this thing. (It would never be good if they, the newshounds, were the ones that made the news themselves.)

Leila instantly stiffened. Her smile slipped into a grimace. Lois didn’t think before she acted. She grabbed the kid by his arm and said, “Hey, buzz off, the grown-ups are talking here. Also ditch that camera if you don’t want to be fired by whoever you work for.”

That scared the guy off; he walked away with an intimidated backward glance and was obviously muttering some very unsavory things to himself.

Lois almost wished Clark was here so he could tell her what the kid said. It would be hilarious, she was sure.

Leila still looked uncomfortable. She let out a sigh and looked around the room a moment. “Hey, Lois, you want some fresh air?”

Lois found herself accompanying Leila outside onto one of the balconies. It looked down over Metropolis, and with the night lights, it was a lovely view.

It was at Leila that Lois caught herself staring, however. She turned away back to the night sky the moment she realized.

“I can’t escape Sam no matter how far I go,” Leila said at last, bitterness lacing her voice. “Always Senator Wilson this, Senator Wilson that.”

Lois raised her hand in sympathy. “I was tied to Superman for a long time. I get it.”

Leila smiled at Lois, gentle and warm. “Ten years ago, I’d have gone off on his ass, but it’s not worth the trouble these days. One too many assholes for me to give a damn.”

“More worthy opponents to fight?”

Leila’s smile turned into a smirk. “Oh, there’s one in particular.” Her eyes swept over Lois then, and it was more than just sizing her up. Lois suddenly felt hot in her own dress, despite the chill in the air. It wasn’t dissimilar to the first time she’d flown, feeling a bit breathless and awed and not sure if she would ever find herself on solid ground again.

At last, Lois found her voice. “Must be someone pretty special to get all that attention from you.”

“She is.” Lois swallowed, thickly, her heart suddenly racing in her chest, and her hands clenching around nothing. Damn it, she was like a lovesick kid all of a sudden. Why, oh why, was this Lois’s romantic response?

Because this had to be it, right? Leila couldn’t look at her that way and not mean… Oh, Lois was terrible at relationships, a hopeless romantic, and totally incapable of figuring out when people that maybe she liked too were flirting with her.

Give her a dirty politician over romance any day. She could take down a half dozen before breaking a sweat. This, on the other hand?

Lois licked her lips, and then Leila was leaning in (or was Lois leaning in? God, Leila was just a bit too tall, Lois was definitely reaching up), and this was not what Lois had expected. Oh, the kiss was great, it made her feel tingly and good and excited. But only a few hours before she had been angry as hell - and she still was - and kissing Leila had been the furthest thing from her mind.

When they broke apart, and Lois found her voice again, she said, “This doesn’t mean I forgive you for stealing my story.”

Leila smirked at her. “It was a good story, Lois. You have to get used to the competition.”

“Come work for the _Planet_. We could tackle them together.”

Leila laughed and kissed Lois again, and okay, she could get used to that. “I don’t think Perry White would like me breaking up the Lane and Kent team.”

“Psh, he’d get over it.”

“Maybe one day,” Leila said, “but I get first billing.”

That was something they would have to negotiate. Right now, Lois just wanted Leila to kiss her some more, and maybe do a little more than that, and tomorrow, she would find a way to scoop Leila. 

Sleeping with the enemy, as it were. The idea thrilled her almost as much as Leila’s hands on her hips did right now.


End file.
